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The impact of disabilities on quality of life in people with multiple sclerosis

¹ Department of Health Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
² Department of Health Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands; Department of Oral Health and Clinical Epidemiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
³ Department of Health Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
⁴ Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

	Abstract

Objective

People with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) experience lower levels of quality of life (QOL) than people from the general population. We examined the relative impact of MS-related disabilities on QOL.

Method

Data were obtained from a sample of 530 patients who completed the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Profile (MSIP), a disability measure based on the International Classification of Functioning,Disabilities and Health (ICF) and two generic health-related QOL measures, the Medical Outcome study Short Form Questionnaire (SF-36) and the World Health Organization Quality Of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). The impact of disabilities on QOL was estimated using hierarchical multiple regression analyses after controlling for the clinical course of MS.

Results

Disabilities contributed to a unique and substantial extent to QOL variance. "Impairments in mental functions" was the most important QOL predictor. "Fatigue" showed the highest prevalence and severity scores, while the impact on QOL was limited. The estimated impact on QOL appeared to be dependent on the applied QOL measure: the WHOQOL-BREF was sensitive to disabilities related to all four ICF components, while the SF-36 was only sensitive to disabilities belonging to the 'body functions' and ‘activities’ components.

Conclusion

Treatment programmes should target impairments in cognitive functioning, emotional functioning and sleep. Interventions are best evaluated using the WHOQOL-BREF.

Key Words: disability, international classification of functioning, disabilities and health, multiple sclerosis, Multiple Sclerosis Impact Profile, quality of life

First published on July 16, 2008, doi:10.1177/1352458508091260

Multiple Sclerosis 2008;14:972.

A more recent version of this article appeared on August 1, 2008


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